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Finished typing out two chapters of my mentor CB. And will be on-track to do scene cards.

Instead of brainstorming Karina CB story arcs. I started back-up on the self-paced Chapter Book Blueprint course. My main focus is on building out Karina’s character first then brainstorm story arcs.

I’m hoping that building out Karina’s character will shed light on other possible PB arcs. I’m going to hold off on re-reading editorial feedback until I have a few more exploratory Karina drafts done. I want to give myself the space to create before narrowing down.

How I’m Feeling: 0 (neutral — just chugging along)

April 12, 2017

Had a hard time getting started. I would sit down and try to start but couldn’t. Beginnings are the hardest part for me, especially in new drafts. I ended up making this quick pep talk sign and hung it right in front of me.

It worked! While I did manage to keep the editor away, I still ended up writing the first scene three times within the first ten minutes. I did finish a draft. It wasn’t exactly what I had set out to write, but it was a start. This draft, I’m calling my preschool draft since the MC feels a bit younger than in the original and the story is half the length and it just has a younger feel to it.

I don’t know what draft to write next, so instead, I’m going to spend a little time studying an early chapter book to see if that is a possible fit.

Next steps:

Type out three chapters of the early CB mentor text

Apply SG method to find the Want/Misbelief/Hasn’t Learned aspects for the mentor text. Do scene cards for the typed chapters to understand how it all fits

Brainstorm possibilities for Karina in a CB

Re-read editorial feedback on the PB and try to internalize and find the subtext.

April 9, 2017

I did 1.5 pages of free-write brain dump psyching myself for what lays ahead. Here is what I learned.

Figuring out Karina’s heart won’t be easy. Karina is a complex girl. Hence the only way to truly understand her is to continuously write her into different situations/storylines, observing her reactions, and asking WHY?

Figuring out Karina won’t be easy, but I have to and will push through because I am the Author!

From the words of BIG MAGIC, dear internal editor you are appreciated but right now you are going on vacation alone! Enjoy the rest because I will need you recharged later on.

I archived all the previous revisions/critiques/query letters. Makes it easier to start over when seeing a blank folder. I am tempted to delete the archive, maybe at a later date.

I did the Jean Reidy 4 column/5 step exercise which helped showcase where I should be focusing on to get emotional resonance. Don’t know how to exactly do it yet, but am trying not to worry.

Using Story Genius Method I’ll draft a Want/Misbelief/Hasn’t Learned but will try not to get too worked up if I don’t know if I’ve dug deep enough.

Introduction:

Revising more like ripping apart my Karina story of 45 revisions to the bare bones to re-build is going to be one of the hardest things I’ve had to embark on so far in my six years of writing. The page acts as a journal so I can remember the process of how I felt and the things I did to get through the revision. The things I write may not always make sense, apologies in advance. Apologies for poor grammar too. Hope this helps other writers.